JACKSON, Mich. — School food service directors will soon
have the option of buying beef that does not contain “pink slime,” according to
MLive. A change in U.S. Department of Agriculture rules will allow school
districts to buy ground beef with or without the filler next year.

The derisively named filler is made of meat scraps that are
heated to remove fat and then treated with ammonium hydroxide gas to kill
bacteria. The product meets federal food safety standards and has been on the
market for years, but has recently come under attack by activists seeking to
ban the substance from school lunches, according to MLive. It is found in
nearly 70 percent of ground beef in the U.S., but has been banned by several
fast food chains.